Porsche knows how to over-engineer a car. We thank them every day for over-engineering a targa top. Specifically, the top of the 2014 911 Targa. It's bonkers-brilliant.

When the '14 Targa goes on sale this summer, it will be available as the Targa 4 for a $101,600 starting price, or the Targa 4S that kicks off at $116,200. Both are excellent values considering the wizardry going on with the roof. How can I explain it? You should just watch.

Even though all body styles of the 911 are relatively similar under the skin, the Targa is more closely aligned with the cabriolet. Instead of a full folding roof, though, it gets the curvy glass in back and a silver-painted hoop in the middle.

The Targa 4 gets the familiar 3.4 six with 350 horses, while the 4S gets the 3.8 six with 400 horses. Both have optional PDKs and the 4S with Sport Chrono and PDK scoots to 60 in 4.2 seconds and on to 183 mph.

The Targa debuted in 1965, with a soft plastic window in the back. That proved to be crap, so they made it glass with a manually removable center panel all the way up until the mid-'90s when someone decided it should be an electric glass sunroof that slid over the rear window. That persisted for the better part of two decades until someone had the brilliant idea to return to this iconic style – only with this super trick arrangement.

This time around, though, the Targa hoop seems to accentuate how large the 991's rump is. It's not particularly flattering. But from the side, it's fantastically odd and wonderful and the version of the 911 you should get

Porsche describes the AWD-only Targa as the car for all seasons. But that's not why they launched it in Detroit. It's because Porsche has too much good stuff to launch this year. But how could anything top this top?